• Sending shit to space
    202 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Heres Jonny!;24494648]Guys.. Let's make a rocket... That can achieve full orbit.[/QUOTE] Balloons, GPS devices, and cameras are one thing. Making small to mid size rockets to be lifted by a couple balloons are another. But building a fully functional rocket cheaply and legally doesnt seem to feasible right now. Depending on where the launch site would be, we would need authorization from a few agencies.
I could buy 3 parkas, an oxygen tank, get about 400 of those balloons, and be the first facepuncher sort-of in space.
[QUOTE=superdinoman;24494690]Balloons, GPS devices, and cameras are one thing. Making small to mid size rockets to be lifted by a couple balloons are another. But building a fully functional rocket cheaply and legally doesnt seem to feasible right now. Depending on where the launch site would be, we would need authorization from a few agencies.[/QUOTE] Good point.. But we should create some sort of prototype on a small scale and see how close to full orbit it can achieve.
[QUOTE=FreeThinker;24471800]As some of you may know, SomethingAwful has it's own space program. It's time for us to start our own. High-altitude ballooning is a cheap method of sending relatively light items to near space. The whole project would cost around 200 dollars. Most, if not all items needed can be bought online. Some photos taken from this kind of balloons: [img]http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/2343/spaceteddybearsfsd.jpg[/img] [img]http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/3944/balloon20space.jpg[/img] [img]http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4050/spacepicturesearthrober.jpg[/img] [img]http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/224/moon.png[/img] Onboard electronics: [img]http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/8549/177618645584b7841728o.jpg[/img] A flight video: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R7-SJPID_I[/media] A more than one hour long HD film: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nojl3aiYBOw[/media][/QUOTE] That's amazing, I didn't even know you could do that.
If I could make a small satellite with an on-board camera, souvenir crap on it, a good laser-pointer, and really good functionality (I could rotate it, return it to earth in one piece, etc.) then I definitely would. However, cameras are not cheap... :( However, this is so cool. :D
[QUOTE=Heres Jonny!;24494779]Good point.. But we should create some sort of prototype on a small scale and see how close to full orbit it can achieve.[/QUOTE] Im already building one for myself, once I finish it up Ill post it, but currently Im looking for a cheap efficient way to return the camera/GPS in a local area.
[QUOTE=superdinoman;24495104]Im already building one for myself, once I finish it up Ill post it, but currently Im looking for a cheap efficient way to return the camera/GPS in a local area.[/QUOTE] Spot-on retrieval method: Step 1. Buy an AGM, like the Predator Missiles in CoD. Step 2. Gut that thing of anything non-essential to getting your camera into space and back home. That means getting rid of the high-yield explosives. Step 3. Plant a GPS thing in your backyard that communicates with the gutted missile, and make it so that the missile homes in on the GPS thing. Step 4. Buy a fuckload of balloons. Figure out the rest.
[QUOTE=ElectricSquid;24495261]Spot-on retrieval method: Step 1. Buy an AGM, like the Predator Missiles in CoD. Step 2. Gut that thing of anything non-essential to getting your camera into space and back home. That means getting rid of the high-yield explosives. Step 3. Plant a GPS thing in your backyard that communicates with the gutted missile, and make it so that the missile homes in on the GPS thing. Step 4. Buy a fuckload of balloons. Figure out the rest.[/QUOTE] One thing that could be wrong with this: The predator missile could burn up upon atmospheric re entry.
[QUOTE=ElectricSquid;24495261]Spot-on retrieval method: Step 1. Buy an AGM, like the Predator Missiles in CoD. Step 2. Gut that thing of anything non-essential to getting your camera into space and back home. That means getting rid of the high-yield explosives. Step 3. Plant a GPS thing in your backyard that communicates with the gutted missile, and make it so that the missile homes in on the GPS thing. Step 4. Buy a fuckload of balloons. Figure out the rest.[/QUOTE] That shit is quite expensive bro. I live near the Ocean and so any malfunction is a bad malfunction Although you could build a rocket and connect it to the GPS, but still not worth it. [QUOTE=cqbcat;24495400]One thing that could be wrong with this: The predator missile could burn up upon atmospheric re entry.[/QUOTE] Not really as it would still be within the atmosphere at those altitudes.
[QUOTE=superdinoman;24495402]That shit is quite expensive bro. I live near the Ocean and so any malfunction is a bad malfunction Not really as it would still be within the atmosphere at those altitudes.[/QUOTE] Parachutes, guys. Also, I'm surprised none of you went /sarcasm at the AGM thing. In reality, it would be best to use some kind of thing with a manner of control, so that you could steer/fly/guide it back home. If you live in Minnesota you don't want it ending up in Mexico or something. On that note, has anyone tried flying a large hobby plane up really high? They have those zero-g planes that fly in arcs, maybe you could replicate that design on a small scale. Edit: You'd need boosters of some kinds to reach the really high altitudes. Maybe you could attach home-made thrusters to the hobby plane once it reaches the altitude where wings+propellers are severely reduced in effectiveness.
A rocket dart would be the most feasible, you would have to make a 10 or so foot rocket, attach a fiberglass or metal dart onto the top and there you have it, 1kg or so into space
[QUOTE=Luuper;24495513]A rocket dart would be the most feasible, you would have to make a 10 or so foot rocket, attach a fiberglass or metal dart onto the top and there you have it, 1kg or so into space[/QUOTE] Sounds good. I think the biggest problem of any amateur space-borne project is getting "the package" to land where you want it, or at least in a close proximity to you. If it's more than 30 minutes or even an hour (Depending on circumstances) then you need to revise the plan.
[QUOTE=ElectricSquid;24495505]Parachutes, guys. Also, I'm surprised none of you went /sarcasm at the AGM thing. In reality, it would be best to use some kind of thing with a manner of control, so that you could steer/fly/guide it back home. If you live in Minnesota you don't want it ending up in Mexico or something. On that note, has anyone tried flying a large hobby plane up really high? They have those zero-g planes that fly in arcs, maybe you could replicate that design on a small scale. Edit: You'd need boosters of some kinds to reach the really high altitudes. Maybe you could attach home-made thrusters to the hobby plane once it reaches the altitude where wings+propellers are severely reduced in effectiveness.[/QUOTE] Im thinking of building a glider with folded back wings that can be pushed out on the fall back, when it gets to a certain height have the wings move outwards and a couple servos to control the flight. This might take a while to do properly though and a test flight would be the first flight as model airplane parts arent that cheap. Still looking into other alternatives though.
[QUOTE=mr.pie;24472002]Wait how does it pass the ozone layer?[/QUOTE] whats with the retards lately
The Facepunch Aeronautics Program # 1 (Fap1) will be this: [IMG]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2668640/spaceflight.png[/IMG] [editline]10:30PM[/editline] Right click and open for full view.
I love this sort of stuff - Let's put a Garry's mod server into space with a wi-fi downlink. Make it auto-restart every hour. Use two balloons so when the first one pops, the second one is more inflated and it stays up there ;-)
[QUOTE=LarparNar;24497059]The Facepunch Aeronautics Program # 1 (Fap1) will be this: [IMG_thumb]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2668640/spaceflight.png[/IMG_thumb] [editline]10:30PM[/editline] Right click and open for full view.[/QUOTE] Fap 1. Love it. If only the plan were 100% feasible :P
This thread is really stupid, SA does not have a space program, some Goons have a space program, not SA, just some people who posted about it on a forum.
[QUOTE=Heres Jonny!;24497751]Fap 1. Love it. If only the plan were 100% feasible :P[/QUOTE] Well it's not impossible. We just need money. Then again Facepunch users are mostly 14 year olds living off their parents (I mean, I do, so...).
[QUOTE=LarparNar;24498180]Well it's not impossible. We just need money. Then again Facepunch users are mostly 14 year olds living off their parents (I mean, I do, so...).[/QUOTE] Sadly true, I however do have money and plenty of it. :smug: Id totally invest in a rocket but rockets tend to make people and Governments a bit concerned. If it goes off track the North Koreans might think its an attack.
ITT: Random stupid people and kids thinking war and space always is together and that a giant space "frigate" or whatever you retards call it, is feasible.. Im out of here before im raging..
[QUOTE=onforty;24498974]ITT: Random stupid people and kids thinking war and space always is together and that a giant space "frigate" or whatever you retards call it, is feasible.. Im out of here before im raging..[/QUOTE] Uhuh I see none of what you are talking about. Stop ruining peoples fun. Even if this isn't possible, it's still fun to think up ideas and concepts.
I wonder how much fuel you would need to propel the rocket from the upper atmosphere into space. I say that the coolest thing you could do is send it up in a way that it would never return, but in a way that you could still receive signals of the camera. Radio transmitter or something? I don't know. I'm no mechanic of aerospace engineer, or any engineer for that matter, but I wonder if you could get some sort of dish or something in order to pick up radio signals in a more highly sensitive way, so that you could pick them up from very far away. I don't know the feasibility of this idea.
You guys are here thinking of schemes using GPS guided missiles, has it ever occurred to you you could just link the camera to a satellite to instantly upload the pictures? That way it doesn't matter where the camera ends up. [editline]09:19PM[/editline] [QUOTE=onforty;24498974]ITT: Random stupid people and kids thinking war and space always is together and that a giant space "frigate" or whatever you retards call it, is feasible.. Im out of here before im raging..[/QUOTE] Uh how exactly is a space frigate impossible. At the moment no one is going to put money into building a giant space ship, but it's not like it defies the laws of physics in any way.
Now, gentleman, here's a thought: When coming back to earth, couldn't you slab four simple, small liquid-fuel jets on each side of your package, deploy a parachute on they way down, and then just steer the little bugger back to where you are? Presumably you've put a GPS on it, so finding it won't be hard, and steering it wouldn't be too hard either.
I say as SA deals with space we should work on exploring the other 98% or this planet's oceans
Actually, I totally have a plan for that. You know what Facepunch needs? We need a hard-core tinkerers group. As in an actual group that gets together for a long period of time annually to crunch ideas on this sort of thing IRL. Like, for example, get together and build a submersible bus, or something crazy like that :v: I'm completely serious, by the way.
[QUOTE=ewitwins;24509200]Now, gentleman, here's a thought: When coming back to earth, couldn't you slab four simple, small liquid-fuel jets on each side of your package, deploy a parachute on they way down, and then just steer the little bugger back to where you are? Presumably you've put a GPS on it, so finding it won't be hard, and steering it wouldn't be too hard either.[/QUOTE] Guiding it by hand would be too hard, there would be too much 'lag' and it would be a bitch to maneuver. You're better off writing a program so the thing guides itself back to earth. Would be really badass if it would land like 2:40 in this video, although that would probably damage the payload so you'd want to deploy a chute at around 1000 ft. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOwXK5SVCls[/media]
[QUOTE=nath2009uk;24472110]Oh exploitable.[/QUOTE] I was thinking putting Keanu Reeves in the chair. [IMG]http://knowyourmeme.com/system/icons/2862/original/Re2idh.jpg?127578734982[/IMG] Let's do it.
[img]http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/9636/spacexd.png[/img] Fuckin' Gravity
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